Vatican Museums Tickets and Tours

Updated: 29 diciembre 2023

As tour guides, we're always being asked about how to get admission to the most popular attractions in Rome, including the illustrious Vatican Museums.

Located in Vatican City, these museums house thousands of precious and historic artefacts from throughout history.

One of the biggest attractions here is of course the Sistine Chapel, which is included with the price of admission to the Vatican Museums.

While you can get in for free on the last Sunday of the month, it's always busy during this day, and you'll need to pay for admission on every other day of the week.

Since there is a lot to see at these museums, you might want to consider taking a guided tour as well.

We also recommend planning your trip ahead of time to ensure you'll have the best possible experience. 


HOW TO GET VATICAN MUSEUMTICKETS

There are several different ways to get tickets for the Vatican Museums.

Whether you want to take a guided tour or just explore the grounds on your own, it’s important to get an idea of how much admission will cost. 

  • €17 for Adults | €8 for Reduced (Children between 6-18)
  • €4 extra for Skip-the-Line entry
  • €7 for Audio Guide

So, it shouldn't cost more than €21 for an adult ticket with a fast-track entrance, especially with our tip for a free audio tour. 

You can purchase admission either at the ticket office or online from the official Vatican Museums website.

TIP: Several tourist passes include free, skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica.


Night Tickets

During the spring and summer, the Vatican Museums open their doors between the hours of 19:00 (7 pm) and 23:00 (11 pm) to give visitors a chance to see their exhibits after dark.

This service is only available on Friday nights and it can be very difficult to get tickets, so we recommend purchasing them well ahead of time to avoid any issues.  

Guests who take advantage of this opportunity indicate that the crowds are much smaller and it’s a lot easier to enjoy the experience at night.

  • Ticket Prices: €21 for Adults | €12 for Reduced (Children)

If the official Vatican ticket site doesn't have the night tickets, you should be able to purchase these as part of a guided tour from some of the guided tour companies listed below.

TIP: In addition to the night tickets, there are a variety of specialty services available directly through the official Vatican Museums website.


Guided Tours

In addition to the various ticket options available, you might also want to consider a guided tour.

Guided tours include skip-the-line tickets, and when you have a guide to show you around, so you’ll never get lost!

Several of these tour options also offer early-bird access. 

If you want more information about these services, make sure to read our section covering many different guided tours of the Vatican Museums.


Free Admission

Believe it or not, you can get into the Vatican Museums without paying even one euro.

On the last Sunday of every month, the museums open their doors to all visitors. Although this is a wonderful opportunity, it also draws a much larger crowd than usual.

With that in mind, we recommend avoiding this option unless you need to save some money.

Free admission is also granted on World Tourism Day (September 27th).


PLAN YOUR VISIT

This section will cover topics such as how to get here (below), hours and best times to visit, and prohibited items.

Consider the following information before you head out to the Vatican Museums. 

Be sure to also check out our guide to visiting St. Peter's Basilica. Let's get started!


How to Get There

The Vatican Museums are located on the west side of the Tiber River and the northern edge of Vatican City.

There are many options for traveling to this location, but we will be focusing on some of the easiest and most affordable choices.

However you end up here, we recommend using this Google Maps link for exact directions to the Vatican Museums.  

Click here to learn more about the metro system in Rome.

How to get to the Vatican Museums

Subway

For many people, taking the subway is probably the best way to reach the Vatican. This depends on where your hotel or accommodations are. 

The A-Line actually offers two stops very close to the Vatican Museums: Cipro and Ottaviano.


Cipro:

This is technically the closest metro stop to the museum's entrance. If you plan to arrive early in the morning, this is probably the best option.


Ottaviano:

This stop can be handy when the crowds get larger during mid-day.

The Vatican Museums are one of the most popular destinations in Rome, and lines can stretch as far back as 600m on particularly busy days (see the red line in the image above).

If you plan on arriving later in the morning, and especially if you don't have a skip-the-line ticket, you will want to consider the Ottaviano stop instead.


Tram

Depending on where you are located, you may be able to take the #19 tram down to the St. Peter’s stop.

This will take you closer than any other option on our list, but it may be difficult to reach this tram from the city center.

Visitors will want to consider this option if they are traveling from the surrounding areas of Rome, but as we stated above, use the Google Maps link to be sure.  


Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tours

There are a few hop-on-hop-off tour bus services that provide stops just a few blocks from St. Peter’s Square. 

Most tour buses will stop very close to Via della Conciliazione, allowing you to enjoy the incredible views of St. Peter’s Basilica as you walk up to the museums. 

TIP: We recommend considering the Vatican & Rome Bus Tours. This is the only bus tour in Rome that actually has ties to the Vatican.

You can take their tours and get free entry to the Vatican Museums with the Omnia card.

Free Rome Tour

HOW MUCH TIME IS NEEDED TO VISIT THE VATICAN?

This depends on what you want to see and even more on when you plan to go and whether you have skip-the-line tickets or not.  

The Vatican Museums are open every day but Sunday from 9:00 am - 18:00 (6 pm) with the last entry at 16:00 (4 pm), but not all times are equally busy.  

As we mentioned before, the lines for tickets to enter the Vatican can reach close to 1km in the peak summer months and you could wait for 90-120 minutes just to enter the museums.  


IMPORTANT: Be sure to get skip-the-line tickets and get to the Vatican early in the morning or later in the day, and if you can afford it, we highly recommend an early-bird ticket and tour.


As you can see in the image below, from 11:00 am till 15:00 (3 pm), it is very busy.

Busiest time at the Vatican

On Saturdays and Mondays, the volume of people visiting the Museums is at the highest level.

Best time to go to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

If you only want to see the museums, you probably won’t spend as much time here.

That being said, if you decide to stick around and explore areas such as St. Peter’s Basilica, you could end up staying in the area for almost an entire day.

With that in mind, here are a few average peak hours time-frames you should consider.

  • Vatican Museums: 2-3 hours for the main exhibits
  • Sistine Chapel: 1-2 hours for queue, walk & visit
  • St. Peter’s Basilica: 1-2 hours for the main church
  • Vatican Grottoes: 2-3 hours for the main sites

Needless to say, one could easily spend an entire day at the Vatican. This is why skip-the-line and/or early bird tickets are critical.

At the very least, make sure you arrive by 8:30 am so that you can avoid the very long ticket and security queues.

There are so many things to see in the museums alone that you could spend an entire day looking through them.

If you just want to see some of the highlights, you might not spend as much time here.

However, visitors who want to see as much as possible should seriously consider devoting an entire day to just the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel.

You have to go through the Vatican Museums in order to reach the Sistine Chapel.

The walk alone can take up to 30 minutes and you also have to go through an additional metal detector to enter.

Once inside, there is a lot to see and do which you will want to give yourself time to experience. We recommend that you do not neglect to set aside enough time to visit this historic location.

Make sure to consider the operational hours at the Vatican Museums when deciding when to visit.

If you plan to make a trip to St. Peter’s Basilica either before or afterward, check our section about the church for our recommendations.


SECURITY AND PROHIBITED ITEMS

There are some items that you simply cannot take into either the Vatican Museums or the Sistine Chapel.

Although some things are completely forbidden, others will be held for you at the cloakroom.

Here is a list of items you will be asked to check in while visiting this historic location:

  • Umbrellas
  • Sticks
  • Stands
  • Tripods
  • Video Cameras
  • Luggage
  • Suitcases
  • Large Bags
  • Knives
  • Scissors
  • Metal Tools

In addition to these items, visitors should also keep the following details in mind:

  • Alcoholic beverages are not allowed
  • Food and drink are not allowed
  • Strollers are welcome
  • Guide dogs and animals are permitted
  • Touching the artwork is prohibited
  • Photography is permitted for personal use only
  • Flash photography is not allowed
  • Laser pointers are not allowed
  • Microphones are also prohibited
  • Mobile phones must be kept silent
  • No photography of any kind is allowed in the Sistine Chapel

Please note that visitors who bring any kind of firearm or dangerous weapon will be turned away from the Vatican Museums.  

In addition to these rules, it is important to keep in mind that the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel have a strict dress code.

Guests with low-cut or sleeveless clothing, shorts, mini skirts, and hats are not allowed.


GUIDED TOURS 

When visiting the Vatican Museums, you may quickly become overwhelmed by just how much there is to experience.

After all, there are 9 different museums and several additional galleries to see – and then there’s the Sistine Chapel!

With so many incredible and historic exhibits on display, you may want to consider hiring a guide to show you around.

In this section, we will discuss the various types of guided tours you can take, including small group guided tours and audio tours.  


Official Guided Tours

The guide provided on these tours has been authorized by the Vatican City State, ensuring that the information they provide is going to be very accurate.

These professionally guided tours will reveal some of the most beautiful and historic areas in the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

They even offer a few tours which include St. Peter’s Basilica and other areas of the Vatican! 


However, according to several tourist reviews on TripAdvisor, the tours provided by the museums can get very crowded and difficult to follow, so you might consider a small group tour, or better yet, an early-bird tour. 

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour

  • Tickets: €33 for Adults | €24 for Reduced (Children)
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Languages: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour (+St. Peter’s Basilica)

  • Tickets: €38 for Adults | €29 for Reduced (Children)
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, German

St. Peter’s tour availability is dependent upon the schedule of Papal Appearances.

The tour cannot access St. Peter’s Basilica if the Holy Father is holding a special ceremony.


TIP: If you are interested in visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, make sure to read our post about the historic location for more information. 


Additional Official Tours

If you want to see and experience more than just the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and/or St. Peter’s Basilica, they also provide tours of other areas in and around the Vatican.

These tours are also offered by guides who have been authorized by Vatican City State.

  • The Vatican Museums/Vatican Garden
  • The Vatican Museums “Out of Hours”
  • The Hidden Vatican Museums
  • The Vatican By Train

Private Guided Tours

In addition to the official tours offered by the Vatican Museums, there are also several private services that provide a very similar experience.

Tours operated by private companies are usually limited to small groups of less than 20 people, in order to ensure the best possible tour.

This is just one of many reasons why you may want to consider one of the following options. 

Each company also offers early-bird tours, which allow you to enter the Vatican up to 90 minutes before the general public.

These companies are all very well-rated. Customers can choose between many of the same tour options available directly through the Vatican Museums.

You can also expect some of the following guided tours to last much longer and potentially provide a lot of additional details about the historic exhibits on display.

While the official tours are limited to only 3 hours at most, some of the services on this list offer tours that last for up to 5 hours. 


Take Walks

This company offers a variety of tours at the Vatican Museums, including both an extensive outing and a trip that will cover the basic highlights.

Both tours cover the museums and the Sistine Chapel, while one includes a walk through St. Peter's Basilica as well.

The Complete Vatican Tour

  • €65/Adults | €58/Kids
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Availability: Mon-Sat
  • Includes skip-the-line access.
  • Covers the following locations:
    • Vatican Museums
    • Sistine Chapel
    • St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican Highlights Tour w/ St. Peter's Dome Climb

  • €92/Adults | €82/Kids
  • Duration: 5 hours
  • Availability: Limited
  • Includes skip-the-line access.
  • Covers the following locations:
    • Vatican Museums
    • Sistine Chapel

Vatican Museums Night Tour

  • €69/Adults | €61/Kids
  • Duration: 2 ½ hours
  • Availability: Limited
  • Includes late Vatican access (7:30 pm).
  • Covers the following locations:
    • Vatican Museums
    • Sistine Chapel

In addition to these services, they also offer a general early access tour you may want to consider.


The Roman Guy

The Roman Guy tour company offers several Vatican Tours, including an 'early-bird' tour (see below).

Their most popular tour is the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel/St. Peter’s Basilica Tour. This 3-hour tour is available every day but Sunday. 

Tours include skip-the-line access and group sizes are small and are capped at 18 participants. 

* Save 5% on tickets for all Roman Guy tours with our exclusive code FREETOURSBYFOOT *

  • Tickets: Adult € 61.95/ Youth  (age 6-17) : €49.95 / Child under 6 Free
  • Every day but Sunday at 9:00 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am and 14:30 (2:30 pm)

In addition to this outing, The Roman Guy also offers a Vatican highlights tour with an additional Rome walking tour included which covers sites such as Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps.

As an added bonus, visitors who take this tour will also receive a free gelato!

  • €89.95/Adults | €79.95/Youth
  • Free for Kids 5 and under
  • Max of 16 guests
  • Duration: 5 hours
  • Availability: Daily

Longer, more in-depth Vatican tours are available as well as tours throughout Rome.


City Wonders

This is another excellent company that also offers several Vatican Tours. Their Skip-the-Line Vatican Tour, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's has many time slots to book.

Prices vary depending on the time of day so if you are on a tight budget, you can opt for a less expensive time.

The group size is a maximum of 20 people and the tour is 3 hours long. A nice feature is that they have a 24-hour cancellation policy.

The tour is offered in English several times a day and once or twice a day in Spanish, Italian, French, German and Portuguese.

This tour has an 8 am slot you can book and you will be entering before the general public at 9 am. In this way, it is essentially an early-bird tour.

  • Tickets: Prices start from €69/Adult | €64/Child (6-18)
  • Children under 5 are FREE
  • Every day but Sunday at 8:00 am

Note: From mid-November through the end of February, they decrease the number of times per day the tour is offered to just 10:00 and 14:30 (2:30 pm). 


Official Audio Tour

If you’re not interested in having someone show you around, you can always take one of the audio tours offered at the Vatican Museums.

These tours are far more affordable, but you may find it easier to locate things with the help of an actual tour guide. There are two audio tour options to consider:

This tour provides commentary on more than 400 different subjects. It is designed and curated by experts of the Vatican Museum.

  • Ticket Price: €7 per person
  • Languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese 

Rick Steves' Audio Tour

This is an excellent and free alternative to the official audio tour which provides a lot of helpful information for visitors at the Vatican Museum.

In addition to covering a variety of topics in the museums, Rick Steve also provides a free audio tour of the Sistine Chapel, both with accompanying maps.

Visitors are free to download both audio tours directly from his website and listen to them with their smartphone.

You will need to wear headphones in the museums as microphones and loud audio devices are not allowed to be used.

Mobile phones must be kept silent, so headphones/earbuds are an absolute must.

There is also a free audio tour of St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica.


Self-Guided Vatican Exploration Game

If you'd rather take your time and discover the area around the Vatican at your own pace, there is a mystery game based on the Angels & Demons film/book series which might be of interest.

This is a bit like a self-guided tour, except it tells a story along the way to keep you entertained as you explore the city looking for clues to solve a mystery.

Although this won't include tickets to the Vatican Museum, it will allow you to explore the area around Vatican City and discover some of the most important landmarks.


EARLY BIRD AND SKIP-THE-LINE TICKETS AND TOURS

The earlier you visit the Vatican Museums, the less likely you will be to run into large crowds.

Thankfully, in addition to the services provided directly by the museums, you can also get early access and skip-the-line tours from licensed partners such as those listed above.

These tours usually start at 7:30/8:00 am, before the 9 am opening time when the general public can enter.

The differences between the tours listed below are how many participants there are, how long you have your guide for, and whether or not the tour includes St. Peter's Basilica. 

Many visitors indicate that this is the best way to see the museums and experience the Vatican if you can afford it, and we agree.

Here are a couple of options for well-reviewed companies to consider.


Take Walks

This company offers many different Vatican tours including two skip-the-line services that cover the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica during the day.

In addition to these outings, they also provide the following early access opportunities that you might enjoy. Each of these tours begins at 7:30-7:45 am.


Pristine Sistine Early Entrance Vatican Tour

  • €89/Adults | €86/Students | €79/Kids
  • Duration: 4 hours
  • Availability: Mon-Tue, Wed-Sat
  • Includes early Vatican access.
  • Covers the following locations:
    • Vatican Museums
    • Sistine Chapel
    • St. Peter's Basilica

VIP Pristine Sistine Vatican Tour w/ Breakfast

  • €109/Adults | €104/Students | €99/Kids
  • Duration: 4 hours
  • Availability: Limited
  • Includes early Vatican access.
  • Includes full buffet breakfast.
  • Covers the following locations:
    • Vatican Museums
    • Sistine Chapel
    • St. Peter's Basilica

The Roman Guy

The Roman Guy offers 4 early bird tours. These tours are available Mondays through Saturdays at 7:30 am and include a tour guide the entire time.

The tours include the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Some also provide free breakfast!

Our guests get 5% off these prices with code FREETOURSBYFOOT.


3.5 Hour Tour

  • Tickets: €89.95 Adults | €74.95 Children (age 6-17) | Kids under 6 are free.
  • The tour starts at 8:00 am
  • Limited to just 14 guests.

2.5-Hour Express Tour

  • Tickets: €69.95/Adults | €64.95 Children (age 6-17) | Kids under 6 are free.
  • The tour starts at 8:00 am
  • Limited to just 16 guests.

2-Hour Private Early Entrance Tour

  • Tickets: €89.95/Adults | €73.95 Children (age 6-17) | Kids under 6 are free.
  • The tour starts at 7:30 am

3-Hour First Entry Tour w/ Breakfast

  • Tickets: €135/Adults | €120 Children (age 6-17) | Kids under 6 are free.
  • The tour starts at 7:15 am
  • Limited to just 10 guests.

*Remember to use our exclusive promo code FREETOURSBYFOOT when you check and save 5% off these prices.


City Wonders Tours

Although they didn't originally offer an early bird service, this company has since started providing a special early entry tour which includes a free buffet breakfast.

This outing starts at 7:30 am and groups are kept to a relatively small size of 13 people or less, ensuring you'll be able to ask questions of your guide and have them answered.

  • Starts at 7:30 am
  • The tour is 2.5 hours long
  • €109 Adults |  €104 Child (6-18) | under 6 are free
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VATICAN MUSEUM AND THE SISTINE CHAPEL

There is a lot to experience at the Vatican Museums and inside the Sistine Chapel.

Some guests have even indicated that it could take upwards of a month to see everything they have to offer.

It’s far too easy to become overwhelmed, so we’ve decided to provide a few noteworthy details about some of the most popular exhibits.

This guide should be handy for anyone who just wants to see the basics.


The Pine Cone Courtyard

The first thing you’ll notice upon entering this area is a large pine cone statue in front of the Belvedere Palace.

As you may have guessed, this statue is where the courtyard got its name.

Highlights of the Vatican Museum

This courtyard was constructed by Donato Bramante, though the pine cone was constructed much earlier—nearly 2,000 years ago!

It originally stood near the Pantheon and represents Isis, the god of fertility.

If you look closely, you may notice a giant sphere that was constructed in 1990 by Arnaldo Pomodoro.

Though its meaning is unknown, many speculate that this sphere represents the cosmos.

The two sculptures are very different and represent both the old and the new in Vatican City.


Octagonal Courtyard

The most impressive piece of art in this courtyard is the Apollo Belvedere. Apollo was the Greek god of the hunt.

Many scholars consider this sculpture to be the most perfect and symmetrical sculpture in the world.

Highlights of the Vatican Museum

It was found during the Renaissance and is thought to have been created around 120 AD.

Michelangelo used this sculpture to paint Jesus in “The Last Judgment”.

Also in this room are a statue of the River God, Arno; Laocoon (seen in the photo to the right), the man who tried to warn the Trojans not to accept the Greek’s gift of the wooden horse; and several sarcophagi.

The River God sarcophagus dates back to 140-150 AD. Laocoon was sculpted by Michelangelo. 


The Spiral Staircase

Designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1832, this staircase is well-known due to both its location and size.

This structure is made up of two stairways engraved with iron which form a double helix.

Highlights of the Vatican Museum

Some visitors may be familiar with this shape as that of DNA, but it’s worth noting that there is no way Momo could have known that when the stairs were constructed.

This is also known as the Snail Staircase. 


The Round Room

You may have noticed that this room is also appropriately named.

In the middle of this room, you will find a giant bath that supposedly once belonged to Nero, emperor of Rome. Surprisingly, this room had to be built around the bath.

The mosaic floor is 1700 years old and depicts scenes from the battle. It’s made of imperial porphyry, a purple stone only found in the mountains of Egypt.


The Gallery of Candelabra

Highlights of the Vatican Museum

The long gallery behind the Round Room is full of pale marble statues. These statues were once colorful, but their paint has long since worn away.

Many of the statues were adorned with fig leaves from the mid-16th – 19th Century in order to give the statues a little modesty.

Two of the most prominent statues are of the Greek goddesses Diana and Artemis. Artemis is the goddess of fertility, and Diana is the goddess of the hunt.

Both hunters and farmers used to pray to these statues in hopes of a prosperous year ahead.


Raphael Rooms

These rooms include paintings by Raphael and his students.

They are broken down into four rooms: Room of the Segnatura, Room of Heliodorus, Room of the Fire in the Borgo, and Room of Constantine.

Keep an eye out for famous paintings such as The Baptism of Constantine, Deliverance of Saint Peter, The Parnassus, and Disputation of the Holy Sacrament.

If you want to see even more work done by Raphael’s students, make sure to visit the Gallery of Tapestries as well. 


Gregorian Egyptian Museums

If you want a change of pace, head for this museum filled with 9 rooms of ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, this section of the museum includes various sculptures, statues, and bronze objects.

Look in the second room to find mummy cases and sarcophagi which were traditionally used during Egyptian ceremonies.

Go to the fifth room to see incredible statues of various pharaohs, queens, and gods.


The Sistine Chapel

This chapel is the home to the papal conclaves, the group that chooses the next Pope.

Finished in 1481, The Sistine Chapel was designed by Baccio Pontelli and named for Pope Sixtus IV.

This building is most famous for the frescoes that adorn the ceilings and walls, painted by Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio, and of course—Michelangelo.

The frescoes on the walls depict scenes from the life of Moses, and Jesus, narratives from Genesis, and the ancestors of Christ.

Perhaps most notably, the famous ceiling was painted by Michelangelo from 1508-1512. He also painted “The Last Judgment” from 1535-1541.


RELATED POSTS:

Back to Top
cross